OUT WENT THE CANDLE

by Harvey Swados ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 6, 1954

A first novel that deals with what might be called a contemporary lost generation, this presents just about all of the personal conflicts of the war years (1943-1947) without being in any sense a war novel. Joe Burley becomes involved with the Felton family just before he goes into the Army, through the daughter, Betsy, an ambitious nineteen year old who is throwing herself at life as hard as she can. The first half of the book is devoted to these few months; the sparring between Joe and Betsy and Bunty, the degenerate last member of a fine old family; Betsy's struggle against her own Jewish family and particularly her father, Herman; the father's fight toward the top in the world of war profiteers; and Herman's conflict with his rebellious son, Morrow, in whom a sense of guilt wars with the false values upon which he has been raised. As the war brings all of these situations to a climax, tragedy approaches, but nothing so final occurs. Betsy throws herself into one sexual relationship after another. The ever-solicitous father flies too high and loses everything- money, power, his children love without ever understanding what has happened. And Morrow and Joe, by completely different roads, find ways in which they can live. This is a far better novel than the sum of its story might indicate. Mr. Swados is a good writer with something important to say about values and power and involvement. It is unfortunate that, because his themes are the major ones of post-war writing and because they have been used so often and usually less well, that he has been unable to make the book seem as fresh as it should.

Pub Date: Jan. 6, 1954

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1954

Categories: FICTION